ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department strikes again in J&K Region
The Income Tax Department conducted search and seizure operations today on a prominent business group based in Srinagar, covering 8 premises in Srinagar and 1 each at Bangalore and Delhi. The assessee group is engaged in the business of transportation, manufacturing of silk yarn, hospitality, retail trading of Kashmir Arts & Crafts etc.
None of the members of the group is regular in filing their Income Tax Returns. As a one time settlement, the group has got their loans of Rs 170 crores with J&K Bank restructured for a sum of Rs 77 crores, out of which, payment of only Rs 50.34 crores to the J&K Bank has been made so far and balance of Rs 27.66 crores is yet to be paid. During the search, evidence has been detected indicating that the one time settlement of the loan from J&K Bank has been done through the active connivance of a senior J&K Bank officer who was receiving several out of turn promotions. Furthermore, evidence has also been unearthed indicating that the repayment of Rs 50.34 crores pertaining to the said loan has been greenfielded by the J&K Bank by granting loan of similar amount to an associate who has confessed to his role in layering the entire transaction.
During the search, incriminating evidence has also been found relating to:
- sale of undisclosed property amounting to Rs 22 crores.
- agreement to sell Transport business for Rs 9.10 crores.
- undisclosed profit of Rs 15-20 crores on account of sale of Cold Storage plant at Lassipora. The cost of this project was found to have been inflated to Rs 47 crores instead of the actual cost of Rs 17 crores, for claiming more subsidy from the government by raising inflated and bogus bills. The loan for this project was taken from J&K Bank.
- undisclosed properties at Sonmarg , Pahalgam  and Bangalore .
- one shop in partnership in Delhi purchased for Rs.1.02 crore.
During the search, digital evidence found has been seized, analysis of which is in progress.
Prime Minister's Office
PM to inaugurate ‘Chauri Chaura’ Centenary Celebrations on 4th February
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Chauri Chaura Centenary Celebrations at Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 4th February 2021 at 11 AM via video conferencing. The day marks 100 years of the ‘Chauri Chaura’ incident, a landmark event in the country’s fight for independence. Prime Minister will also release a postal stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura centenary during the event. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh will also be present on the occasion.
The centenary celebrations and various events planned by the State government will begin in all 75 districts of the State from 4th February 2021 and will continue till 4th February 2022.
DS /AKJ
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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Centre revises norms of Central Assistance paid to States/UTs for meeting the expenditure towards intra-State movement, handling of foodgrains and margins paid to fair price shop dealers under National Food Security Act, 2013
The Department of Food and Public Distribution has revised the norms of central assistance paid to States/UTs for meeting the expenditure towards intra-State movement, handling of foodgrains and margins paid to fair price shop dealers under National Food Security Act, 2013 vide notification dated 23rd May 2022.
The revised norms of Central Assistance have been summarized in the table below and will be applicable from 1st April 2022 to those State Governments and Union Territories who comply with the reforms specified in section l2 and the directions given by the Central Government from time to time.
|
|
Category of States and Union Territories
|
|
Norms of expenditure 
|
|
Central share 
|
|
Intra-State movement and handling
|
|
Fair Price Shop dealers margin
|
|
Basic
|
|
Additional margin for sale through point of sale device
|
|
General
|
|
70
|
|
90
|
|
21
|
|
50
|
|
Special
|
|
105
|
|
180
|
|
26
|
|
75
Comparison of Prior norms and revised norms are tabulated below:
|
|
|
|
Category of States
|
|
Prior norms 
|
|
Revised norms 
|
|
Intra-State transportation
|
|
General Category States/UTs
|
|
65
|
|
70
|
|
FPS Dealers Margin
|
|
70
|
|
90
|
|
Additional margin
|
|
17
|
|
21
|
|
Intra-State transportation
|
|
North- Eastern
states, Himalayan
states and
the island
states
|
|
100
|
|
105
|
|
FPS Dealers Margin
|
|
143
|
|
180
|
|
Additional margin
|
|
17
|
|
26
The National Food Security Act, 2013 provisions for central assistance to the States/Union Territories on intra-state transportation and Fair Price Shop dealers margin so that these costs do not get passed on to the beneficiary in the way of higher prices and the uniformity of prices envisaged under the Act is maintained. These norms were first fixed in 2015.
The norms of central assistance were to be revisited after three years of commencement of the NFSA Act, 2013. Norms have been revised with the approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
For release of central assistance, States/UTs have been categorized under two categories viz General Category States and Special Category States. States from North Eastern region, hilly and islands come under Special Category States whereas rest of the States/UTs come under General Category States. Special attention w.r.t. enhancement of rates has been given to the north eastern, hilly and island regions owing to difficult conditions as compared to General Category States and Union Territories in the process of delivery of foodgrains. The enhanced rate of Central Assistance will improve the viability of more than 5 Lakh Fair Price Shops across the country.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 presented to the INSV Tarini Team
Hon’ble Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi presented the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar2017 to the members of the INSV Tarini team in New Delhi today.The Six-member all-women team comprising of Lt Commander Vartika Joshi,Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lt Commander Swathi Patarpalli ,Lt Aishwarya Bodapatti, Lt SH Vijaya Devi and Lt Payal Gupta have received the Puraskar from the Minister.
Pic : Honourable Minister for Women and Child Development Smt.Maneka Sanjay Gandhi with INSV Tarini Team
Speaking on the occasion,the Minister congratulated the team and said that INSV Tarini team is an inspiration for the future generation to excel in a sector that has historically not seen the participation of many women. She also added that Nari Shakti Puraskar is one step towards acknowledging the team for their exemplary courage and team spirit.
The President of India, Shri Ram NathKovind, had conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskars on International Women’s Day in RashtrapatiBhavan.As the INSV Tarini team was sailing then, the award could not be presented to the team.
The crew of the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel 'Tarini' is a part of the Indian Navy’s uniqueproject 'Navika SagarParikrama', an all-women team circumnavigating the globe,promoting ocean sailing activities in the Navy and depicting Government of India'scommitment towards women empowerment. Each crew member has minimum of20,000 nautical miles sailing experience. The Project aims to demonstrate the thrust ofNari Shakti on the world platform.The voyage also showcased the 'Make in India'initiative by sailing on-board the indigenously built INSV Tarini.
The Six-member all-women team,led by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi circumnavigated and managed the whole operation in this first ever global journey. The voyage which lasted for 254 days,with 199 days at sea covered 21600 nautical miles, had 5 port calls in Fremantle,Australia;Lyttelton,New Zealand;Port Stanley,Falklands;Cape Town,South Africa and finally at Mauritius before returning home to Goa.All six members of the crew were trained for over three years under Captain DilipDonde, who is also the first Indian to successfully carry out solo-circumnavigation of the globe between 2009 and 2010.
The women who showed exemplary courage and team spirit had to face strong winds of more than 60 knots and very high waves of upto 7 metres. The crew used an indigenously built INSV Tarini, a 55-foot sailing vessel. The vessel also encountered rough seas, high stormy conditions and severely cold temperatures making the expedition an extremely challenging one. Apart from successfully circumnavigating the globe on a 55-foot yacht, the crew also collated and updated meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by Indian Meteorological Department and reported marine pollution on the high seas. They interacted extensively with the local populace, especially children, during the port halts to promote ocean sailing and spirit of adventure.
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurates IndiGoflight between Kanpur and Bengaluru
Aircraft movement from Kanpur will jump from 20 to 41 per week
Minister says the Udaan scheme has brought about democratization of the aviation sector,enabling the common citizen to fly
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the IndiGoflight between Kanpur – Bengaluru here today. Flights between Kanpur and Mumbai & Hyderabad have also started today. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Rural Development, Shri Nand Gopal Gupta , Minister of Civil Aviation, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Satish Mahana, Minister for Industrial Development, Members of Parliament Shri Satyadev Pachauri and Shri Devendra Singh Bholewere also present in the virtual event. The officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation, UP Government and Senior Indigo executives were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Scindia said thathis new route willnot only enhance connectivity to/from Kanpur but will also promote trade, commerce and tourism between thesecities. He said that Kanpur is not only an important industrial hub of the country, but also has historic and spiritual importance. It played pivotal role in the Indian freedom movement in 1857. Due to its textiles and leather industry, Kanpur was called Manchester of East. With the connectivity of the city with three major cities, the aircraft movement from there will jump from 20 to 41 per week, giving impetus to the industrial and business activities and also generating employment.As far as the infrastructure for aviation is concerned, the new terminal for the Kanpur city will be ready soon, within the stipulated time, at the cost of Rs 106 Crore.
The Minister said that the Prime Minister’s historic and farsighted approach led to the launch of Udaan scheme, which enabled the common citizen also to fly, and brought about democratization of the sector. He said that the airfares have dipped substantially, and airfares are now less than long-haul trains. Under the scheme, 100 new airports will be constructed, and 1000 new routes will start.
Shri Scindia said that the country had just 75 airports earlier but in the last 7 years, 62 more airports have been added. Regarding Uttar Pradesh, he said that there were 2 operational airports in the state but the number has now gone up to 9, covering 80 destinations. Soon the number of operational airports will jump to 15 in the state. There were only two international airports in Uttar Pradesh, and third one was added recently in Kushinagar, and soon two more at Ayodhya and Jewar will be coming up.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Funds Under Poshan Abhiyaan
The State/UT-wise details of funds released from FY 2018-19 to 2021-22 under POSHAN Abhiyaan is at Annexure I.
The estimated number of underweight, malnourished and severely malnourished children under 5 years of age is obtained under National Family Health Survey  conducted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. As per the recent report of NFHS-5 , the nutrition indicators for children under 5 years have improved as compared with NFHS-4 . Stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%, while Wasting has reduced from 21.0% to 19.3% and Underweight prevalence has reduced from 35.8% to 32.1%. The State/UT wise prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children under 5 years as per National Family Health Survey 4  conducted in 2015-16 & NFHS-5 conducted in 2019-21 is at Annexure II.
Mission Poshan 2.0, an integrated nutrition support programme has been announced in budget 2021-2022 for all States/UTs. It seeks to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and outcomes with focus on developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity to disease and malnutrition. Steps have been taken to improve nutritional quality and testing in accredited labs, strengthen delivery and leverage technology under Poshan Tracker to improve governance. Guidelines were issued for transparency and accountability in delivery of supplementary nutrition and to track nutritional outcomes on 13.01.2021.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Education
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan welcomes Australia’s assurance of speedy visa for Indian students, calls for deeper collaboration in skill development for world class skilling of Indian workforce
Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today held a discussion with H.E. Australian Minister of Education Mr. Jason Clare.
Shri Pradhan congratulated Minister Clare on the assumption of his portfolio under the new Labour Party govt. H.E. Clare assured speedy resolving of visa issues for Indian students enrolled in universities and educational institutions in Australia. Shri Pradhan whole-heartedly welcomed this progressive step.
Shri Pradhan also spoke about deeper collaborations in the skills, higher education and school education sector, and imparting world-class skilling, that Australia is known for, to the Indian workforce creating a positive synergy for both countries.
Shri Pradhan briefed H.E. Clare on the new National Education Policy 2020 and the expanded scope for internationalisation in education through various modalities, as well as the enabling environment for institutions in the Gift City.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
12 SAI coaches promoted to level of Director; Eminent coaches laud the move
The Sports Authority of India has taken a landmark decision to promote 12 chief coaches across SAI centres in the country to the position of a High Performance Coach. This is a part of a cadre restructuring and the pay will be in the scale given to Director, Government of India.
Notable coaches and former athletes took to twitter to share their thoughts on the step taken. “In a historical move, 12 SAI coaches have been promoted as High Performance coaches, that is equal to the level Director  because of restructuring done in SAI. Thank you for this amazing step,” wrote former Olympian boxer Akhil Kumar, tagging the Union Sports Minister Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, MoS Sports Shri Nisith Pramanik, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Nataraju Madaiah, volleyball coach based out of SAI National Centre of Excellence Dharamsala, mentioned, “I would like to thank the DG SAI for taking this tremendous step. It is a huge motivation for the coaches and it feels great to see so many coaches getting the recognition. The development in sports in recent years, starting from the Tokyo Olympics, has been manifold.”
Babul Basumatary, senior Athletics coach at SAI NCOE Guwahati, shared similar sentiments, “I thank SAI for giving me this platform. I’ve been coaching since 1992 and whatever SAI is doing to develop the coaching ecosystem and motivate the existing coaches is outstanding.”
List of coaches promoted as High Performance coach:
Harjinder Singh  – SAI training centre Jammu
Babul Basumatary  – NCOE Guwahati
Kishore Kumar  – NSNIS Patiala
Vinod Narayan  – SAI Bangalore
Gangaraju TB  – STC Kokrajhar
Tankeswari Basumatary  - Guwahati
Satpal Singh  – STC Kurukshetra
Nataraju Madaiah  – NCOE Dharamsala
PK Brahma  – STC Kokrajhar
Rajinder Kumar  – Chandigarh
Jaswant Singh  – Mizoram
Kuldeep Kumar  – STC Bhiwani
Prime Minister's Office
Recognition for increasing consensus on Indo- US Strategic Partnership, says PM on accepting Legion of Merit Award from US
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that he is deeply honored for being awarded Legion of Merit by the US Government.
In a series of tweets, he said, "I am deeply honoured to be awarded the Legion of Merit by @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. It recognises the efforts of the people of India & the US to improve bilateral ties, reflected in the bipartisan consensus in both countries about the Indo-US Strategic Partnership.
The 21st century presents both unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities. The India-US relationship can leverage the vast potential of our people's unique strengths to provide global leadership for the benefit of entire humanity.
On behalf of the 1.3 billion people of India, I reiterate my government's firm conviction and commitment to continue working with the US government, and all other stakeholders in both countries, for further strengthening India-US ties."
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Government Issues two Gazette Notifications for Jurisdiction of Krishna & Godavari River Management Boards
Gazette Notifications Issued for Administration, Regulation, Maintenance & Operation of Projects in Godavari & Krishna River Basins In Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
The Ministry of Jal Shakti through Gazette Notification dated15.07.2021 has notified the jurisdiction of Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board, which provide the required authority and power to the two Boards in terms of administration, regulation, operation and maintenance of listed projects in Godavari and Krishna rivers in the two States. This step is expected to ensure judicious utilization of water resources in the two states.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014  contains provisions for the effective management of river waters in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Constitution of the Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards and the constitution of an Apex Council for the supervision of the functioning of these Boards, is laid down in this Act.
The Central Government in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 85 of the APRA, 2014, constituted the two River Management Boards effective from 2nd June, 2014 for the administration, regulation, maintenance and operation of such projects on Godavari and Krishna rivers, as may be notified by the Central Government.
The long pending issue of notifying the Jurisdiction of the two Boards was addressed in the 2nd meeting of the Apex Council held in October, 2020, under the Chairmanship of Union Minister, Jal Shakti,Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. In this meeting, it was decided that the jurisdiction of GRMB and KRMB will be notified by Government of India.
In accordance with the provisions under Section 87 of APRA, 2014, Government of India has issued two gazette notifications, one for the jurisdiction of GRMB and the other for KRMB, for administration, regulation, maintenance and operation of projects in Godavari and Krishna river basins respectively, in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
This decision of the Union Government for notifying the jurisdiction of two Boards would go a long way in enabling the River Boards to discharge their responsibilities to the fullest as mandated in the APRA, 2014 and bring about efficiency in management of water resources in the two States. The Centre expects the wholehearted cooperation and assistance of both the State Governments in the smooth functioning of the two Boards, to ensure equitable benefit to the people of both the states.
Click here to see Gazette Notification
Ministry of Defence
ALH MK III AIRCRAFT OF INDIAN NAVY FITTED WITH MEDICAL ICU
A Medical Intensive Care Unit  has been installed onboard ALH Mk III from INAS 323 at INS Hansa by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . With ALH Mk III, an all-weather aircraft, being equipped with MICU, the Indian Navy can now undertake medical evacuation of critical patients by air even in unfavourable weather conditions.
The MICU has two sets of Defibrillators, Multipara Monitors, Ventilator, Oxygen Support as well as Infusion and Syringe Pumps. It also has a suction system to clear secretions in the mouth or airway of the patient. The system can be operated on aircraft power supply and also has a battery back up of four hours. The equipment can be installed in two-three hours to convert the aircraft into an air ambulance. This is the first of eight MICU sets to be delivered by HAL to Indian Navy.
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ABBB/MK/VM/MS
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Ministry of Science & Technology
Special Campaign 3.0 – Department of Biotechnology
Carrying forward the momentum of SCDPM 2.0, the Deptt. of Biotechnology during the period of Dec., 2022 - July, 2023 was able to minimize pendency of various matters including MP references , Parliamentary Assurances , PMO references , IMC references , public grievances .
The Department has also adopted best practices during the period particularly with regard to the following:-
- Launch of Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal - a single window platform for all Biological research regulatory approval across scientific Ministries/Deptts.
- Ensuring delayering with regard to decision making in the Deptt.
- Migration to e-office version 7.0
- Endeavour to ensure 100% e-receipts and e-files in the Department.
The Deptt. is committed to minimizing pendency and ensure Swachhata in its premises and all its autonomous bodies and PSUs. In order to ensure full and active participation of all concerned in the forthcoming SCDPM 3.0 the Deptt. also organized the 1st sensitization meeting with officers of the Deptt. and all its Autonomous Bodies and PSUs on 5th September, 2023.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Cabinet approves enhancement of age of superannuation of General Duty Medical Officers, Specialist Grade doctors and Teaching Medical Faculty working in Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, Bhopal
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approvedthe proposal of Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to enhance the age of superannuation of General Duty Medical Officers, Specialist Grade doctors and Teaching medical faculty working in Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, Bhopal to sixty-five years at par with doctors of Central Health Services and doctors working under other Central government hospitals/institutes.
The age of superannuation in respect of General Duty Medical Officers and Specialists included in Teaching, Non-Teaching and Public Health sub-cadres of Central Health Services was increased to sixty-five years vide a Notification in January, 2018.
The Government decision will meet the shortage of faculty and specialist doctors in the BMHRC and improve the patient care facility to the victims of Bhopal Gas Tragedy and members of their families.